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'LEVI B. SOUTHWORTH, oir-DEEP RIVER, coNNncriour.`

Letters Patent No. 76,355, dated April 7, 1868.

IMPROVED CARPET-STRETGHER.

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To WHOM'IT MAY concerns: i

Be it known that I, LEVI B. SOUTHWORTH, of Deep River, in the town or Saybrook, in'the county of Middlesex, in the State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement'in Carpet-Stretchers; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, vreference being had to the accompanying drawings and'to. the letters ot' reference'ma1ked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing a handle, having a joint at or near the middle, and a point,

one or more, in one end. The other end of which' handle is to be attached to a head, having` a row or rows of teeth or points-at rightangles Vto the handle, which will engage with thecarpet while thepoints on th'e opposite end of the handle are stepped in the door and carpet, and canse tbepart of the carpet intervening to be stretched.

by a downward pressureupon the'jo'int, and, also, in providing the handle with a brace to hold the two sections thereof in the position obtained by the pressure upon thejoint. y f

I construct the head ofmmy carpet-stretchers wholly of metal, or of wood and metal combined, and of any .suitable length, but usually about two feet in length.

Figure 1 isa representation ofa carpet-stretcher constructed according tomy invention'. A cast headis represented at D, having a row'ot` pointscast into the lower side to catch upon the carpet.

'lhe points are made of short pointed pieces of wire insertedin prints in the sand made by points on the headpattern, themetal, when poured into the mould, flowing' around and Asecuring them in the head. The head is attached, by means of a socketsto the handle A, which is made of wood, and provided with a toggle-joint near the middle,4as represented at B. The end of the 'handle opposite the head is snr'roundedwith aferrule, and provided with a point, .shown at-C, for` penetrating the floor. E represents a brace, which may be made wholly of'metal, or of woodwith a metal plate yriveted or attached by screws on the inside of one end, and serrated onv the lower edge, as represented at S. vOne endofthis brace is pivoted `to one section ofthe handle, as shown at z', and a staple, to receive the othervor serrated end, is attached to Athe other section of 'the handle, as represented at o. K 4 I To stretch a carpet by this device, kone edge of the carpet is tacked in its proper position, and the point C pressed through it'int the floor -so as to remain stationary. The toggle-joint is bent upward, or adjusted at any desired angle, according to the powergdesirednd the teeth ofthe head made to 'engage with the carpet. Thus arranged, by pressing down upon the joint, the angle between the two sections of the handle is increased, and

.the part ofthe'carpetincluded therein stretched. In this lirst operation the brace E is not essential, because the operator can readily step on the carpet andh'old it in position. This being'done, thesame operation may be repeated, or the stretcher used as it isrepresented by Figure 2, in the following manner The tcethof the head are made-to engage' with the carpet with the handle held straight, and -the brace in line with it, by the hands of the operator, who presses forward and downward upon thc handle, and holds `the carpet thus stretched in4 position by stepping upon it, This operation is repeated until the opposite edge of the vcarpet is reached',-`

when the point C is again pressed through the carpet into the door, the brace E-s adjusted in the-staple o, so thatthe serrated part will engage therewith', when the operation first described is repeated, which being done, the carpet is held for tacking, and the stretcher appears asrepresented byrFigure 3.

With the sections of the handle constructed each three feet in length, this carpetstretcherrequires but little bending of the body to operate it, and thejoint in the handle, while it ador-ds amplepower for the purpose of stretching, enables the handle to be folded for stowage.

What I claim as my invention, and desire'to secure by'Letters Patent, is

'fliejoint B, one or more points C, and brace E, in combination. with the head D, as andfor the purpose specied.

LEVI B. 'SOUTHWORTH Witnesses:

JOHN W. MAavrn, F. C. SILLIMAn. 

